Friday, June 10, 2016

Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita with Luc Belaire Rare Rosé for #winePW

Wine Pairing Weekend - #winePW - happens on the second Saturday of the month. And this month - June - Nancy of Pull That Cork is hosting. Click to read her invitation: here. Or, the gist of it is this: we're pairing the rosé of our choice with the food of our choice.

A Garden of Rosés...
It's funny...my initial reaction to the event was that I'm not much of a rosé drinker. Then I searched my blog and realized that I've paired and used rosés many, many times. I guess it's because it's food friendly. And, it's pink. Yes, that is a factor!

Donkey & Goat's 2014 Grenache Rosé started off our Tasty Murder Dinner. Don't ask...well, you can ask. Tasty Murder was the themed birthday dinner I made for one of my best friends this year; he's an ardent baconphile and every dish included bacon!

Our posts will publish early on Saturday, June 11, then we will gather at 11 am Eastern Time (8 am Pacific) on Twitter to chat about the food and wine pairings we prepared. Please consider joining the conversation by following #winePW on Twitter.
Our July event will be hosted by Jeff at foodwineclick, who has chosen Pairings with Sherry as the theme.

Pink and Sparkly...
I like bubbles. And, despite three decades of avoiding anything pink, I really now wholeheartedly embrace anything in the the girly hue. It probably has something to do with being a permanent resident of Testosterone Land. I am totally outnumbered. All. Of. The. Time.

So, when I saw this sparkling rosé, I bought a bottle. I should have picked up two bottles! Hailing from the Cote d’Azur region of Provence, this can't bear the name Champagne, but it has all the drama and elegance of a great bottle of sparkling wine.

I already mentioned that it's pink. But it's not a timid hue. It's rich, vibrant, and beautiful.

The visual appeal is equally matched on the nose. I got strawberries and roses. Then you taste it and you're in bubbly bliss. Made from France's three most famous rosé grapes - Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache - it has a perfect balance on the palate. My favorite part: it's refreshing but not too sweet.

So, I asked one of my friends with a great garden if she could spare some organic roses for me. And I made a rose petal syrup for a strawberry granita.

Ingredients

1 C water

1 C organic granulated sugar

handful of organic rose petals + a few whole petals for garnish

zest of one lime

1 ½ pounds strawberries, approximately 2 pints

Procedure

Place rose petals in a sterile jar. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the syrup into the jar with the rose petals. Let cool completely.

Heat grill or grill pan on the stove; I opted for the latter as our grill is packed and ready for our move. Thread strawberries onto a skewer.

Grill strawberries until softened and juices are bubbling, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

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Just about any occasion sends me to the kitchen to create. My pots and pans are my culinary canvas. I cook dinners for friends' birthdays, for holidays, and three times a day for my family.

My hope is that my descriptions and photos will inspire you to get out to the farmers markets or down an aisle at the grocery store that intimidates you, try some new ingredients, and get crazy with the herbs and spices! Buon appetito!

All the recipes and photos on my blog are original, unless otherwise noted, and are provided for your enjoyment and use. If you do use any of the content of this blog in yours, I ask that you acknowledge the source. Thank you.